Hotline - 9.8.12 | Trip Report

Trip Report

Hotline - 9.8.12

Sunday September 9, 2012 11:34am

Chase and I had a great outing on Hotline yesterday. Even in the shade, we were surprised it was so warm and humid feeling. For the first pitch, we used the intermediate belay that shows in the topo. Next time I would run the first two pitches together. The crack crux on the second pitch felt pretty reasonable until I reached the traverse rail itself. As soon as my fingers felt that rail I knew I was screwed for the onsight. After a few tries I ended up tensioning across. I'm still wondering if I should have just tried to "walk the plank" on that rail. Chase looked like he was going to float the traverse and then his foot popped and he was off as well. It's hard! We took the left hand variation for the last pitch to avoid the bombay chimney. We both ended up pulling on some gear on that one as well. All in all a great outing on the elephant though !


	Out of the trees Credit: David Wilson


	top of pitch one Credit: David Wilson


	looking up crux pitch Credit: David Wilson


	crux pitch Credit: David Wilson


	about to traverse Credit: David Wilson


	on the rail Credit: David Wilson


	pitch 3 - what dreams are made of Credit: David Wilson


	pitch 3 Credit: David Wilson


	pitch 4 Credit: David Wilson


	pitch 5 Credit: David Wilson


	pitch 6 Credit: David Wilson


	pitch 6 Credit: David Wilson


	obligatory summit shot Credit: David Wilson

Trip Report Views: 2,173

David Wilson

About the Author
David Wilson is a climber from CA.

Comments

Did you like this Trip Report? Got something to say? Don't hold back...

Comment on this Trip Report

Ezra Ellis

Trad climber

WA, & NC & Idaho

Sep 9, 2012 - 11:40am PT

Looks like a Stellar line, Thanks for sharing!!

Mark Hudon

Trad climber

Hood River, OR

Sep 9, 2012 - 11:41am PT

Awesome route, thanks for the photos.

The Alpine

climber

Sep 9, 2012 - 11:44am PT

Bravo!

phylp

Trad climber

Millbrae, CA

Sep 9, 2012 - 11:50am PT

I still remember how awesome that route was, despite it being so long ago. I have Clint to thank for leading every pitch so that I could enjoy a great line that was beyond what I could have gotten the rope on. Thanks for the memories!

Jaybro

Social climber

Wolf City, Wyoming

Sep 9, 2012 - 11:58am PT

woo hoo, nice work on a classic!
Wheels and I climbed that in the mid eighties, stellar memories!

Jeremy Ross

Gym climber

Sep 9, 2012 - 12:01pm PT

Awesome!

-JR

msiddens

Trad climber

Sep 9, 2012 - 12:08pm PT

Such an incredible line

Dirka

Trad climber

Hustle City

Sep 9, 2012 - 01:59pm PT

Looks awesome!!

Alexey

climber

San Jose, CA

Sep 9, 2012 - 02:37pm PT

David, thanks for report.
please tell more about 11d small roof variation. Did not try it but we did 10d flare original route instead. It was so hard and bloody painful- that I think you made a good choice.

le_bruce

climber

Oakland, CA

Sep 9, 2012 - 03:50pm PT

"What dreams are made of..."

Speechless. What an amazing crack.

martygarrison

Trad climber

Washington DC

Sep 9, 2012 - 04:02pm PT

Love the pics! thanks!

Peter Haan

Trad climber

Santa Cruz, CA

Sep 9, 2012 - 04:12pm PT

Thanks David and Chase. Terrific climb. I bet you two do it again also.

Jerry Dodrill

climber

Sebastopol

Sep 9, 2012 - 04:53pm PT

Amazing line! Way to go.

WBraun

climber

Sep 9, 2012 - 06:33pm PT

This pitch is called the Cozgrovell variation as Coz was kind of grovelling following me over that roof on the FA. (wicked bad jams)

It's much harder I think to follow than lead.

In this photo below the crack on the left is the finger crack variation me and Merry did.

mctwisted

Trad climber

e.p.

Sep 9, 2012 - 06:47pm PT

great pics guys! stoked

klk

Trad climber

cali

Sep 9, 2012 - 07:42pm PT

wow, looks great

kaholatingtong

Trad climber

Nevada City

Sep 9, 2012 - 07:53pm PT

quality, well done.

Reeotch

Trad climber

4 Corners Area

Sep 9, 2012 - 08:02pm PT

God, I love Yosemite cracks!

Werner, what does that finger crack variation go at???

Kalimon

Social climber

Ridgway, CO

Sep 9, 2012 - 08:26pm PT

Way to get after it you guys . . . nice photos.

Ihateplastic

Trad climber

It ain't El Cap, Oregon

Sep 9, 2012 - 09:22pm PT

This route is about as fantastic as they get. I mean, look at this crack!


	Credit: Ihateplastic

When Ron and John nailed the FFA it was a turning point in the Valley.

The Warbler

climber

the edge of America

Sep 9, 2012 - 09:25pm PT

That pitch is the most user friendly 5.10 handcrack in The Valley. I got that lead on an early ascent with Art Higbee, and ran the sh#t out of it. Placed like 2 hexes. So fuking good, I couldn't stop...

WBraun

climber

Sep 9, 2012 - 09:26pm PT

Easy free solo too ....

Karl Baba

Trad climber

Yosemite, Ca

Sep 9, 2012 - 09:59pm PT

Cool. Always lusted at that thing from afar but never got around to it and now might be too old for her. THanks for showing it up close

Fatal Mistake always looked delicious from the Cookie but found it a little disappointing at close range

Peace

Karl

Salamanizer

Trad climber

The land of Fruits & Nuts!

Sep 9, 2012 - 11:20pm PT

Yeah, that 5.12 traverse is a total sandbag. More like solid .12+ IMO.

The sandbag rating pales in comparison to the sandbag of the .10d flare. The 5.11d hands variation seems like the easier way to go.

Nice TR.

The Warbler

climber

the edge of America

Sep 9, 2012 - 11:34pm PT

Werner's roof variation looks hard!

The flare didn't seem bad to me - over quick if you stay out wide is what I remember, but small wires make it feel sporty. Surely one of the Valley's best crack climbs. Awesome top out and summit too.

mouse from merced

Trad climber

The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.

Sep 10, 2012 - 12:01am PT


	Hotline, 3rd pitch. Credit: jsb

Third pitch sans dudes. (Shout out to jsb!!!)
Photo from Mike M's thread on the longest pure hands cracks.
Good pix!

tarek

climber

berkeley

Sep 10, 2012 - 01:19am PT

Nice one David and Chase.

Yeah, that 5.12 traverse is a total sandbag. More like solid .12+ IMO. The sandbag rating pales in comparison to the sandbag of the .10d flare.

Here's a classic "but":
12a traverse didn't feel so bad...after hanging just before it.
Sloping crystals in the heat--could seem 12+ after leading the 11d.
1 long first pitch is the way to go. Kinda a pita setting that belay and then sharing it when you could just recover there and continue.

Yeah, the 10d flare sandbag. I'd followed it and fallen a few years before I lead it. That made it worse. Didn't fall, but it was a full-on bear-down scare fest for me. Small steps, pro too far left from where you are chimneying, bad flake below you. Small steps, as back foot feels like it will blow off overhanging wall.

RP3

Big Wall climber

El Portal/Chapel Hill

Sep 10, 2012 - 06:49am PT

Amazing stuff! Thanks for the psyche!

em kn0t

Trad climber

isle of wyde

Sep 10, 2012 - 07:39am PT

Bold and proud! Your photos give a real feel for the moves and beautiful clean cracks. Is it just my chicken-geezer-wimp perspective or did you both do some pretty long runouts, by choice?

Doug Robinson

Trad climber

Santa Cruz

Sep 10, 2012 - 07:38am PT

Beautiful!

You guys are getting a lot of climbing in. Good to see.

David Wilson

climber

Author's Reply

Sep 10, 2012 - 09:51am PT

Alexey,
Werner's variation was glory hands up to under the roof where there's a huge jug. Then it was a few more good hands to some wide rattley hands at the lip. To turn the lip you need to burl up into some 1 1/4" ( green ) jambs with a few small feet on the arette to the right. It's kinda punchy. I think the fact that we both had missed the onsight on pitch 2 took a little steam off our efforts on this pitch. We both grabbed and pulled over the lip.

Funny that Werner says it's harder to follow. I think that's because the rope gets sucked into the jambs and is a bitch to move aside for the follower.

Next time I go for the bombay desperado. I was warned off that one, but it sounds like a character builder.

Em, definitely some run outs. That third hands pitch is like 130 feet of gold camelots. On and on it goes.

bob

climber

Sep 10, 2012 - 09:52am PT

I remember Jake Whittaker and Charlie B. went up there and they thought the 10d flare thingy you avoided was the crux of the route for them.

Maybe either of them will share their thoughts on this?

Thanks for posting!

Bob Jensen

nutjob

Sport climber

Almost to Hollywood, Baby!

Sep 10, 2012 - 09:54am PT

This looks glorious!

Jaybro

Social climber

Wolf City, Wyoming

Sep 10, 2012 - 10:42am PT

Next time I go for the bombay desperado

Though not as difficult as billed, that was my favorite lead on the climb! Glad it was my turn

G Murphy

Trad climber

Oakland CA

Sep 10, 2012 - 10:48am PT

An awesome route, for sure. Nice job up there.

tarek

climber

berkeley

Sep 10, 2012 - 11:11pm PT

yeah, I guess it's not a sandbag--that double flare. It's 10d chimney, enough said. The wider you go, the worse the pro because it's lateral to you. You squirm up and place a piece, go down and out and start chimneying. It's really short, measured in distance. Not so short measured by # of foot placements. You'll style it.

Salamanizer

Trad climber

The land of Fruits & Nuts!

Sep 10, 2012 - 11:48pm PT

No, it's sandbagged. .10d chimneys are easy, so are .10d offwidths and fist cracks for that matter. That .10d flare was hard.

I don't know, maybe its just weird or that it was in the high 80's. But we climbed Cream the day before and I felt it's probably the softest .11 in the valley.

WBraun

climber

Sep 11, 2012 - 08:09am PT

Cream is only rated 10d and pretty straight forward.

The flared chimney on Hotline is a technical masterpiece.

One really needs to know how to free climb to do it.

You can't fake this one.

This goes to show that ratings are only a ballpark expression to give one a rudimentary idea of what one might encounter.

Largo

Sport climber

The Big Wide Open Face

Sep 11, 2012 - 08:30am PT

Has anyone really walked across that hand traverse on pitch 1? For real? I mean the holds are good for the feet but it's steep as sh#t right there.

JL

David Wilson

climber

Author's Reply

Sep 11, 2012 - 10:24am PT

John, I stepped over onto the dike and I suspect it is walkable but a total shakey jake with no holds. I think Tarbuster said he walked it on another thread. So far everyone I know has crimped the rail.

I wish I'd taken a better pic of the bombay desperado. This is the best I have.


	bombay on the right Credit: David Wilson

le_bruce

climber

Oakland, CA

Sep 11, 2012 - 11:52am PT

One day at the Cookie this spring I met a guy who caught me staring over admiringly as one will do from the Cookie, with that great view from there.

I asked him if he'd been on it, and it turns out that just the day before he'd dropped a 600 ft static down the Hotline and mini'd it! I think he maybe fixed a 70m from the top to an anchor, then fixed the 600 ft beast.

Rick A

climber

Boulder, Colorado

Sep 15, 2012 - 08:48pm PT

Thanks for the TR, its the first I've seen on this route and the photos bring it alive.

I haven't seen those cracks since Dale and I went up to try to free it before it went. Didn't get too far on the traverse that day, but damn, that whole thing is fantastic climb. I was never so glad for a top rope as when I followed Dale up that bombay chimney. Dale cruised it, of course.